Uganda says to pull out of Somalia if no changes to Congo report

KAMPALA Nov 3 (Reuters) - Uganda will withdraw from
peacekeeping initiatives in Africa unless the United Nations
amends a report accusing it of supporting rebels in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, its foreign affairs ministry said.

Stung by accusations of support for Congo's M23 rebel group,
Uganda's security minister said on Friday Kampala would tell the
United Nations it was withdrawing its forces from military
operations in Somalia and other regional hotspots.

Uganda and its neighbour Rwanda have denied accusations
contained in a leaked report by a U.N. Group of Experts that the
two countries have helped the M23 rebels, whose warlord leader
has been indicted by the International Criminal Court.

"Uganda's withdrawal from regional peace efforts, including
Somalia, CAR (Central African Republic) etc would become
inevitable unless the U.N. corrects the false accusations made
against Uganda, by bringing out the truth about Uganda's role in
the current regional efforts," the foreign ministry said in a
statement.

U.N. diplomats in New York said it was unclear whether
Uganda meant the threats seriously or was merely trying to
pressure Security Council members from taking action on the
Group of Experts' recommendations.

The experts called for U.N. sanctions against individuals
supporting the M23 rebels.

Ugandan troops account for more than a third of the 17,600
U.N.-mandated African peacekeepers battling Islamist al Shabaab
rebels in Somalia and their withdrawal could hand an advantage
to the militants, who are linked to al Qaeda.

A sudden reduction in peacekeeping numbers, especially in
the capital Mogadishu, would risk undoing the security gains
that allowed the first presidential elections in decades to be
held in the capital in September.

Uganda's soldiers, backed by U.S. special forces, are also
leading the hunt for fugitive Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony in
Central African Republic, with some stationed in South Sudan.
(Reporting by Justin Dralaze and Elias Biryabarema; Writing by
George Obulutsa, Editing by Rosalind Russell)